


Justice

by rollinsandambrose



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Happy birthday cal, M/M, The title and summary for this are so very cringes I'm sorry, Wow these tags are shit, ash is like 19 and Luke's 24 so yeah idk, em yeah Luke's a lawyer and he defends Ashton it's pretty cute tbh, is 19 underage in america, lawyer!Luke, malum because who the fuck doesn't love malum, niall and Ashton are BFFs and it's real cute, punk!ashton, theres so many wrestlers in this because the obsession is really out of hand, updating for your bday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 22:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3225251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rollinsandambrose/pseuds/rollinsandambrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke decides to defend Ashton, and his life changes forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, a new Lashton fic. I wrote this a while ago, and then changed it to suit Stereo Kicks, but I think it suits Lashton better so I changed it back. It's set in Chicago, by the way. Anyway, this is just like an opening kind of thing, and it's quite short and shitty, but yeah, thanks for reading.

Luke Hemmings sighed slightly to himself as he sorted through the paperwork on his desk in his study at home. It was times like this he wished most that he had a secretary (God knows he could do with one, he had enough work to be doing without all the useless sorting through forms that in the end, helped him to gain absolutely nothing), but he knew the money just wasn't there. 

It wasn't that he was poor or anything, he was a relatively successful lawyer, having defended some relatively major cases, and appearing on TV a couple of times (his mother had rang literally everyone they knew to inform them about that), but he was fresh out of law school, finishing only a couple of years ago, and since he'd recently moved out of his apartment with his life-long best friends, Michael and Calum, and gotten his own place, money was kind of tight.

Not that he was complaining. He was living his dream right now, he was a good lawyer, he knew that, and he genuinely loved his job. And he'd been meaning to get his own apartment for a while now. Michael and Calum were great, literally brothers to him, but walking in on them fucking had gotten very old very fast. Not that he'd had any problem with them getting together or anything, in fact looking back now he was kind of surprised it had taken them this long to make it official, but if he was being honest, he could probably do without being kept awake by the sound of them at night.

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, and stole a glance out the window, the darkness outside making his reflection stare right back at him. He was young, only 24, practically a baby compared to most of the lawyers he went up against, something which every single one of them felt the need to point out, which gave him that extra satisfaction every time he beat them. His hair currently fell flat on his head, like it always did when he wasn't in public, but for court and press conferences and going out he gelled it up into a quiff. 

He was a naturally good-looking guy, another thing his opposing lawyers always felt was necessary to bring up, as if the fact that he was young and handsome somehow changed what he had to say. He'd learned to let it go and not take any notice of it, but when the judge seemed to agree with the prosecutor, he sometimes found himself getting mad. He'd walked out of court once, something that added more talk to his already growing buzz, and it served to be one of the best things he ever did in his career. People were talking about him as some sort of anti-authority lawyer but in reality he just hadn't had a lot of sleep the night before and he got pissed off, and walked out.

He wasn't going to correct the people talking about him, though. He'd found after the incident had happened he was suddenly a lot more popular, and it didn't hurt that he eventually won the case he'd walked out on, the judge eventually being forced to find his client innocent, due to the fact that there was absolutely no evidence whatsoever to say otherwise. 

His eyes were blue, but as he stared into the perennial blackness outside his window, he found them growing more and more tired by the second. He had dark bags underneath his eyes, which Michael had kindly told him made him look about fifty years older than he actually was, and Calum had agreed with him, saying they were getting more and more noticeable by the day. And maybe it was due to the fact that he was getting approximately two-three hours of sleep each night, and was basically staying awake due to the glorious thing that was coffee.

Fuck it, he thought finally, giving up on the paperwork, and stuffing it inside his briefcase. It could wait until tomorrow. He checked the time on his iPhone (he was never one to wear a watch), it read 01:34. He contemplated going straight to bed, and actually getting a decent night's sleep for once, but he eventually decided against it, opting instead to watch some TV. He abandoned his briefcase in his study, and headed into the main room in his apartment, which contained both the kitchen and the living room. 

He flopped down onto his couch, switching on one of the many news channels he liked to watch. He knew that the news wasn't exactly cool to watch, something that Michael and Calum loved to tease him about, but he liked to keep himself updated on what was going on in the world, especially the bits that involved law. A video clip of a guy practically skipping up the steps into a courtroom, waving to the cameras and beaming at all the reporters desperate to talk to him, and Luke recognised him straight away. Ashton Irwin. 

The nineteen year old was involved in what was definitely the most high profile case going on currently. None other than Liam Payne, arguably the most famous prosecutor in the world, was trying to prove to world that Ashton Irwin had murdered his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, something that pretty much everyone who'd even briefly heard of the case was convinced he'd done. But there wasn't substantial evidence against Ashton, and boy, did he know it.

All in all, it should have been a pretty regular case, but it wasn't. It was blown up, in all the headlines, everyone was talking about it, all because of one person. Ashton Irwin. 

He'd become infamous for laughing loudly during court, for flipping off the many prosecuting lawyers and all of their assistants, for talking to reporters when any fool could've told him to keep his mouth shut, for smiling brightly every time anyone mentioned the crime he was accused of, for showing up to court in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, for skipping up the steps instead of walking, for doing everything all wrong and somehow still not getting caught.

It had been going on for about four months so far, and it should've been any defending lawyer's dream to get involved in. All the time in front of the cameras, the chance to get mainstream appeal, the opportunity to be a part of what would no doubt be one of the biggest cases in the past decade. But nobody wanted to defend Ashton Irwin.

Maybe it was the fact that he was known for being a rebel, or maybe it was that he wasn't the most easy person to get along with, or maybe it was the fact that everybody believed he was guilty, and no lawyer wants to lose what could possibly go down as the biggest case in the decade. So Ashton Irwin remained lawyer-less, and the court was forced to appoint different lawyers each time he entered, and each of them did absolutely nothing to help him, because each of them had no way to help him.

But he remained free from jail, dodging prosecution thanks to the fact that no one could find any evidence against him.

Luke didn't know what to think about Ashton. He interested him, sure, but a lot of cases interested him. He just couldn't understand why Ashton would even bother with all his bravado, what point was he trying to make? What would he gain from angering the people who had his life in their hands? Luke just didn't understand. Sighing to himself as Ashton disappeared from his screen and a reporter began explaining the case for what was no doubt the fifteenth time this week, Luke switched off the TV. 

He decided to call it an early night and he began heading up the stairs when he heard his office phone ringing. It was technically just his normal home phone, but only clients and other lawyers ever rang it. Anyone else, literally only Michael and Calum and occasionally his mother, contacted him on his mobile.

It was a rarity for somebody to call that phone- most of his clients just showed up to their appointments and left, and the majority of the lawyers he knew didn't like him enough to ring him at home- at anytime, let alone in the middle of the night. He considered letting it ring out- it was late and he was tired, and if Michael and Calum were right, which they usually were, he needed the sleep, but something inside him, a part of him he'd grown to hate over the years, the part that couldn't just let things be, led him to the phone.

He picked it up just before it rang out. "Oh, you picked up, oh, um, hi? Uh, will you be my lawyer?" 

Silence filled the phone for a couple seconds before Luke's brain finally registered what was going on. "Er, who is this?"

"Oh, this is Ashton, Ashton Irwin, you probably know who I am," it was there, however barely, the tiny piece of arrogance as he spoke, and it almost made Luke laugh. Imagine being proud that people knew you because you were accused of murder.

"Yeah, I know who you are. Why the fuck did you call me?"

"Aw, cute little Hemmings using bad boy words," Luke nearly, very nearly hung up the phone, but Ashton quickly spoke again. "Sorry, I just, uh, so, will you be my lawyer?"

"Why'd you need a lawyer?" Luke said, admittedly quite stupidly.

Ashton sighed over-dramatically into the phone, and spoke again, horribly patronising. "Well, I'm not quite sure if you've noticed, but I'm kind of involved in a major court case and I decided I'd probably do better with a lawyer because they're supposed to be smart. Obviously so far you've proven me wrong, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's because it's late," 

If it was possible to punch people through the phone, Luke was pretty sure he would've hit Ashton in the face now. "Okay, bye," 

"No, wait, please, I've been ringing different lawyers all night, and I'm at a pay-phone and I've only got like fifty cents left, please be my lawyer," 

Luke thought for a moment, and it occurred to him that he didn't want to defend Ashton Irwin, but he also knew he'd feel nothing but guilt if he didn't. The begging tone in Ashton's voice, the contrast from what he'd been like earlier, Luke almost felt like he was obliged to defend him.

"Hurry up, I've only got like thirty seconds left," Ashton's voice was back to the way it had been before, practically dripping with cockiness, but Luke could sense a little tinge of urgency behind it all.

"What made you decide you wanted a lawyer now? You've been doing fine without one,"

Ashton didn't speak for what seemed like a long time, and Luke was almost wondering if maybe his time had run out before he finally did. In a small voice, sounding for all the world like a little kid, like the nineteen year old he actually was instead of the cocky bastard he pretended to be, Ashton spoke. "I don't wanna go to jail," 

And it was then that Luke knew what he'd probably known all along, the annoying do-good side of him raising up again, that he really had no choice in the matter. He had to defend Ashton Irwin.

"Okay," he said down the phone. "I'll be your lawyer,"

The only response he got was the sound of the phone clicking off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post the second chapter sooner than I'd planned, because this got a lot more love than I was expecting it to. Updates won't usually be this frequent, but I'll try and update every few days. Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments, much appreciated x. 
> 
> This chapter is probably the shortest of all the ones I have written for this so far, but it does introduce some important characters.

"So, are you defending him or not?" Luke was at Michael and Calum's apartment, watching a shitty horror movie with them. He hadn't wanted to watch it, but Calum had and Michael had predictably taken Calum's side, so here they were, Michael and Calum snuggled together on the only couch in what could only be described as a sickeningly cute way, leaving Luke to sit alone in their armchair.

"I dunno," Luke said, in reply to Calum's question. He had told his two friends about the phone call from Ashton, and they'd agreed it was kind of weird. "I mean, I said I would, but I don't know if he even heard me. The phone clicked off straight away after."

"I still don't get why he decided to call you. I mean, no offence, Luke, I love you, but seriously, it's not like you're some sort of famous lawyer or anything," Michael had a point. Luke's success rate was good enough, but there was a lot of others with better. 

"I don't think you should defend him," Calum said, " He kinda seems like a major dick,"

"He was," Luke sighed, "But, like, I kind of felt bad for him?" 

"I'd tell him to go fuck himself." Calum said, causing Michael to laugh lightly. "Like, think about it this way. He's killed two people and he's asking you to try and get him out of the punishment and he's still an ass to you. Imagine what he's like to people he's not trying to get help from," 

"We don't know for sure if he killed them," was all Luke said. 

"C'mon, Luke, who else would've?" Calum said, causing Luke to sigh. He hated that, hated how pretty much everyone assumed Ashton was guilty, even people like Calum and Michael who had absolutely no interest in the case. That's all prosecuting was really. It was a game of finding the person easiest to blame, and blaming them. And a nineteen year old ex-boyfriend who was covered in piercings and tattoos was as easy to blame as anyone.

"I don't know," Luke sighed. "Could've been anyone. Maybe the boy killed the girl in a fit of anger and then killed himself and staged it to look like a murder. Maybe it was a robbery or something. Maybe they pissed off some drug dealers. Maybe it wasn't just the obvious choice," 

Michael and Calum fake applauded him, and he just about resisted the urge to flip them off. "Seriously, though, it's amazing the way your brain works," Calum said. "Everyone knows it was him, but you just got me convinced it mightn't have been," 

"You so want to defend him," Michael began, "You're so predictable. I mean, it's such a Luke thing to do, defend a poor nineteen year old who nobody believes is innocent," 

Luke knew Michael was right, though he'd never admit it to him, and he knew exactly what he was talking about. It was typical of him to do the right thing, and he hated himself for it, he really did. It would've been so much easier to just not get involved and simply watch the case go by, watch Ashton get a different lawyer, watch him be charged with the crime. He would move on with his life and forget about it.

But he couldn't forget how desperate Ashton had sounded when he said he didn't want to go to jail.

"Maybe he'll just forget about it," Luke said, not believing the words he said. "Maybe he'll decide he doesn't want a lawyer after all,"

"Why don't you call him back?" Calum asked.

"He called from a pay phone, you idiot," Michael remarked, and Calum fake pouted until Michael kissed him on the nose and he smiled.

"You guys sicken me," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"You're just jealous because our love is so beautiful," Calum said, sticking his tongue out at Luke and cuddling closer to Michael.

"This movie sucks," Michael said after a while. "I can't believe you wanted to watch it, Luke,"

••

"No luck," Ashton sighed, as he entered his tiny apartment. "I just don't get why no one wants to hire me. Like, yeah, I have tattoos and shit, but I covered most of them and I took out my piercings and, seriously, it's 2014, why the fuck are people still judging on looks?" 

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact everyone thinks you're a fucking murderer," Niall, his flat mate and best friend said back, laughing slightly, causing Ashton to laugh as well. Niall's laugh was contagious like that, basically forced everyone who heard it to laugh along.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot that," Ashton headed to the kitchenette, which was really just a fridge, a cupboard, a sink and a microwave. They didn't have much, but they didn't really need much. They got by. "I'm making noodles. You want some?" He asked Niall, who was lying on the couch, watching their TV, one of the only luxuries they possessed. They had managed to buy it last year, before the rent went up and Ashton got fired from his job at the video store.

"I don't think putting a pot in the microwave really qualifies as making, Ash. But, yeah, I'll have some." 

Ashton put the two pots in the microwave at the same time, his laziness getting the better of him, and set the timer for two minutes and thirty seconds. "I got a lawyer, though," 

"What? When?" Niall switched off the TV and sat up, turning on the couch so he was facing Ashton.

"Last night. I borrowed the yellow pages from Seth and Dean across the hall, and went down to the pay phone. I called the few who didn't look too snobbish and this guy Luke Hemmings said he'd be my lawyer. Then right after that my time ran out and I was out of money," 

"But why?" 

"God, you're just like Hemmings ," Ashton sighed, "Did it not occur to you that I could do with a lawyer since, ya know, I'm being accused of murder?"

"Yeah, but like, you always said you didn't want a lawyer. And lawyers are expensive, Ash. We can barely pay the fucking rent." 

Ashton bit the piece of skin under his thumbnail. "Fuck. Didn't even think of that. Do ya think he'll do it for free?"

Niall laughed. "Yeah, right, Ash. He's a lawyer. Lawyers have money practically pumping through their bloodstream. They don't do anything for free,"

"Shit," Ashton muttered, as the microwave began to beep. "Well, he was kind of a dick anyway. Fork or spoon?"

"By 'dick' you mean you were a complete asshole to him, and then got surprised when he acted the same way to you. And fork, obviously. Who the fuck eats noodles with a spoon?" 

"Well, I don't know anyone personally but I'm pretty sure someone out there does," Ashton said, handing Niall his pot and sitting down next to him. "And I wasn't an asshole, he was just mad for no reason," 

"You probably woke him up or something. Maybe he was on his period," 

Ashton laughed. "What the fuck kind of sex ed class did you go to?" 

"None, same as you, you idiot," 

"Turn on the TV," Niall obliged, and switched it on. Spongebob was playing. 

Spongebob, your best friend and pot noodles. There certainly were a lot worse ways to spend your Friday night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth and Dean (Ashton's and Niall's neighbours) are both wrestlers by the way, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. (They're the two in my name). They come into the story a lot more later on, (so do other wrestlers, I'm sorry :/) so I'll give a bit of background information on them when they do, but if you want to look them up for pictures or something, by all means do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally can't believe the amount of love this has gotten after only two chapters, honestly wasn't sure if anyone would like this. Thanks to everyone who read this xx.

It was a Saturday, so strictly speaking Luke shouldn't have been at work at all, but if he was being completely honest, he couldn't remember the last time he'd truly had a Saturday free (and, if he was telling the complete truth, he didn't have much better to do anyway). He didn't mind it, though, he genuinely liked working, and he needed to make money if he was going to continue paying the rent at his new apartment. (It was slightly cheaper than his old one, but he was now paying the whole thing instead of just a third).

He was now discussing a pretty basic case with his newest client, a thirty something year old guy named Phil Brooks. Phil had dark hair that was slicked back with what must have been an astronomical amount of gel, and he was covered in tattoos. A single silver lip piercing adorned his lip, not unlike Luke's own one. (He wasn't wearing it at the moment, he barely ever wore it at work, in law school he'd been advised not to wear it due to it looking 'unprofessional'). 

Phil was involved in a pretty straightforward case, he was divorcing his wife and trying to get custody of their two kids. "I'm telling you, she's absolutely crazy. Like seriously. And she cheated on me with four different guys. Me and Lillian walked in on her fucking one of them once. That's not a good atmosphere for any child to be brought up in,"

"What do you mean she's crazy?" Luke asked, furiously taking notes as Phil spoke. 

"Well, she broke a table in our house once for no reason. And she's weirdly obsessed with scissors. And once, she accused me of cheating- which is a lie by the way, I don't cheat- and I denied it and she cut up my passport. And when I tried to confront her about maybe getting some help, she started screaming and didn't stop for like an hour. And she hit me. That's when I decided enough was enough. She needs professional help, and I need to be raising my two-"

He was cut off by the door opening. Standing in the doorway, dressed in a black leather jacket and ripped skinny jeans, was none other than Ashton Irwin. "Oh, shit, someone's in here, sorry, I'll just- oh, hey, Phil," 

"Ashton?" Phil stood up from his chair and embraced the younger man with a hug. "How've you been? You still drumming?" 

Ashton's smile disappeared. "I, uh, had to sell my drums. To, ya know, pay the rent and stuff,"

"Oh, shit, sorry, man," Phil looked genuinely upset. "And you were so fucking good. Did you ever get another job?"

"Well, you wouldn't think it, but not a lot of people want to hire murderers these days," Ashton's smile was back, joking again, as if he didn't realise the weight in the words that had just left his mouth.

Phil finally seemed to realise that Luke was still there, and he turned to him suddenly. "This is Ashton, he used to work in this video store with me," He turned back to Ashton. "So, what are you doing here?" 

"Luke's my lawyer," Ashton said, and Luke suddenly realised that that was true. Fuck, he was defending Ashton Irwin in his first really mainstream case, a case that he was well and truly destined to lose. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Oh, cool, small world, hey," Phil smiled again, and Luke wondered how he could treat Ashton so kindly when the whole world thought he was a murderer. "How's Niall? Still with Demi?"

"Niall's pretty good, and they broke up a couple of months ago. How's Aj?" Ashton asked, and Luke felt really out of place in his own office, as if he was intruding on their conversation.

"That's kind of the reason I'm here. We split and I'm trying to get custody of Lil' and Jake," Phil smiled while saying this, and Luke wondered whether they just didn't realise how serious the messes they were in were, or if they were just completely faking.

"Cool, well I hope that works out for you. I'll be waiting outside for when you guys are done," Ashton said, waving as he ducked out of the office.

"So you're defending Ash too?" Phil asked, as soon as the door closed behind Ashton.

"Apparently so," Luke said, editing a couple of things on his schedule. He had planned to go to lunch after Phil's appointment, and he was getting quite hungry, but he supposed he could always arrange things so he had time to meet with Ashton.

"Listen, he's a good kid." Phil spoke almost frantically, in a hushed voice. "Bit of an ass at times, but he's had a rough deal of things. Don't push him to talk about things he doesn't wanna talk about. Talk to him about the case and stuff, but whatever you do, don't bring up childhood shit or whatever. And try keep him out of jail, won't you? He really doesn't deserve to go there," 

Luke merely nodded, trying to take in all Phil had said, and then Phil spoke again, as if nothing had happened. "So, where were we?" 

"Your wife is crazy?" Luke prompted, clicking his pen, as Phil began talking again, describing many situations in which Aj had acted less than sane, or any incidents where she had endangered their children. Luke frantically took notes on an attempt to keep up with Phil's endless flow of stories. 

After nearly half an hour, Phil stopped talking. "So, anyway, long story short, she's crazy, she needs help, not two children."

Luke finished writing, and stared down at his refill pad, his bad rushed writing littering the page. "This should be easy enough. At many times she's put your kids in danger, and if she is as, uh, mentally unstable as you say she is, it shouldn't be hard to get the court to hand you custody,"

Phil nodded, standing up. "Thanks, Luke," he picked up his jacket from the back of his chair. "And, listen, try and make sure she gets the help she needs, yeah?" He asked, and Luke could see in his eyes that he still loved her. "I mean, she's done a lot of bad shit, but she's a good person, she really is," 

He walked out of the room then, opening the door and letting Ashton come in. Ashton looked kind of weird, different from any time Luke had seen him on TV, almost nervous. He had a red bandana wrapped around his forehead, and maybe it was just the way the light was shining through his window at that certain time, but Luke couldn't help but notice that his golden curls seemed to shine.

Phil turned at the door. "Hey, Ash, you need a ride?" 

Ashton smiled. "Uh, yeah, if ya can. I can walk, though, if you don't wanna wait,"

"'S fine. I gotta go get lunch anyway, so I'll go to that sandwich place across the street. Car's parked outside. It's not locked," 

With that Phil left, leaving the door to swing shut behind him. It clicked on its hinges, leaving the room to fall into complete silence. Luke stared at Ashton for a couple of seconds, and Ashton stared at the floor, shifting awkwardly from side to side on his feet.

"Uh, you can take a seat," Luke said awkwardly, after what seemed like an eternity.

Ashton sank into the swingy chair across from Luke. "Thanks,"

And Luke stared at Ashton. And Ashton stared at Luke. 

Finally, Ashton's face broke into a smile, a huge bright one, showing deep dimples on each side, and he looked away. It was then that Luke noticed his eyes weren't green, as he'd first thought, but hazel. "Well, Mr. Lawyer, what are we gonna do first?"

"You're supposed to make an appointment, ya know," Luke said. Sure, Ashton was only nineteen (and kind of cute, but Luke noticed that in a totally 'oh, that guy's hot but I have no attraction to him' kind of way) but Luke still didn't like him. 

"I don't have a phone," Ashton said. "And I didn't have any change left for the pay phone, so I couldn't ring and make one,"

"How'd you find my office?" 

"The address is in your ad," Ashton replied smoothly, and the two of them fell into silence again. After a couple of minutes, Ashton choked out a dry laugh. "So, are we just gonna sit here and say nothing the whole time, or are you gonna talk anytime soon?" 

Luke just about resisted the urge to tell him to leave his office. "Well, you came here. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, um, I, uh, don't really have anything to pay you with," Ashton said, his voice quiet and for the first time since Luke had heard of him, he looked oddly small. 

"Why don't you start with the story of what happened that night?" Luke said quietly, and Ashton looked up at him, undisguised surprise evident in his eyes. There was something else there, almost respect, but Luke ignored it, simply taking notes again as Ashton launched into the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Phil Brooks in this is a former wrestler; he used to wrestle under the ring name, CM Punk. Aj Lee is another wrestler as well; she's the one he's divorcing. I won't write you that much on them at the moment, because they don't really come into the story until later on.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated x.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long delay, I feel awful, it was my little brother's birthday like a week ago and then my baby sister got really sick and my dads in Amsterdam at the moment so it was all pretty stressful. 
> 
> On a brighter note, this has over 60 kudos, which is literally unbelievable, honestly you guys are all amazing. I quite like this chapter, and I hope you guys do too.

"He is not doing it for free. He's a lawyer. They do shit for free," Niall said to Ashton as he filled up a glass with strawberry liquid and ice cream. Ashton was sitting at the counter at the diner where Niall worked, sipping on a chocolate milkshake that Niall had given to him for free, claiming it was a 'best friend discount'. The diner was one of those horrific old-school American ones, with the walls looking as if a thousand barber poles had exploded on top of them.

"He did, I swear. I told him the whole story of what happened that night and then he asked me a couple of questions and I left. I'm meeting him again on Monday," Niall turned off the shake machine, and added a straw to the glass, before picking up a burger and chips as well, and placing it on a tray.

"I bet he's gonna con you or something. Lawyers don't work for free; they just don't." He filled a glass with coke, and grabbed a hot dog from the kitchen, before coming out from behind the counter to serve some of the customers seated at a nearby table.

"Can't con a con," Ashton said, as Niall disappeared into the diner, giving the people their orders before heading back to Ashton. 

"That may work, Ash." Niall said, wiping down the counter. "Except you're not exactly smart enough to be a con," 

"Fuck you," Ashton laughed, as Niall looked around the restaurant. It was weirdly quiet; while never a busy place, they usually managed to fill more than three tables on a Saturday night.

"Damn, who would've thought that '60's diners wouldn't have been popular anymore in the 21st century," 

"Seriously, though, I lose respect for anyone who decides to come here. Don't they have anything better to do on a Saturday night?" Ashton replied, poking his straw at the remains of his shake. The people at the nearest table seemed to hear him, as they shot him a dirty look before returning to their food.

"Forgetting that you're here too?" Niall said, filling up Ashton's glass quickly after making sure his co-workers weren't watching. They weren't too keen on people giving out food for free.

"Yeah, but you give me food, and let's be honest, I don't have anything better to do on a Saturday night,"

Niall laughed. "Sad, but true," He walked over to the door as another group of people, a woman with three kids, entered the restaurant and he seated them in a booth, handing them menus.

"So, anyway, I can't believe I didn't tell you this, but I was out the last day with Harry when you were out job-hunting or whatever," Harry was an old friend of both of theirs, but more Niall's than Ashton's. "And we were just walking along or whatever and then he was like you should come back to mine, so I was like sure, whatever so we went back to his place and God, they must not pay much at the bakery 'cos, seriously, his place is nearly as bad as ours- I'll finish in a sec', those people look like they're ready to order,"

He walked over to their table, pulling out a notebook and pen as he went. Ashton simply took sips from his milkshake as he waited for his friend to return. "Two mini hot dog meals, a mini tender meal, and a cheeseburger with fries," Niall called back to the two cooks, Kellin and Vic, who Ashton kind of knew. They were together, he knew that much, and they seemed like pretty nice guys, but since he'd only had a total of like six proper conversations with the two of them, he wouldn't really know.

"So, we were in his place, just watching TV or whatever, and all of a sudden, he just kissed me,"

"What?!" Every single person in the diner turned to look at Ashton.

"Jesus Christ, Ash, calm down," Niall said, as he began filling a glass with Fanta. "But, yeah, he kissed me and I didn't know what to do so I just kissed him back and then we stopped and he was just like you should go so I just went," 

"Fuck, I didn't know he was into guys," Ashton said under his breath. "Wait, you kissed him back?" Niall nodded. "Did you like it?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, he was a good kisser," Niall shrugged slightly, as he continued filling the drinks.

"So are you like.. bi?" Ashton asked.

"I guess," Niall said. "I don't really give a fuck to be honest. I think people make sexualities a way bigger deal then they should be. Find someone you like and want to spend the rest of your life with, and who gives a fuck what gender they are? I don't really think it makes a difference." 

"You know for someone who dropped out of school at fourteen, you're pretty damn smart,"

Niall smiled. "I'll keep that in mind as I scrub the toilets in the back later,"

••••

"I don't get it. He's not paying you, and you're still going to defend him?" Luke was sat on a stool behind the counter at the music store where Calum worked. Calum had dropped out of high school, but due to the fact that he was literally a music prodigy, he'd been able to get a pretty good job at a music store in town. There was only three people who worked there; Ed Sheeran, who owned the place, and was probably the most beautiful singer and songwriter Luke had ever had the pleasure to listen to, despite the fact that he hardly ever sang on front of other people. Not that he had stage fright or anything, but his songs were just very personal.

Calum's other co-worker was this guy called Seth Rollins, who had half his hair dyed jet black and the other half platinum blonde. Luke had never heard him sing, but Calum had told him he had the voice of an absolute angel. He was really into heavy metal music, though, so he never really sang that much in front of people. He could play pretty much every instrument they hand in the shop; from violins to electric guitars, from pianos to flutes, but the main instrument he played was the drums, which he used to played in his own band.

Calum worked a lot of the time, which meant that when they weren't working, Luke and Michael practically lived in the shop. Ed and Seth were pretty cool guys as well, but they mostly kept to themselves, and Luke didn't see much of them, because it wasn't that often when they had two people working at the same time. Michael was currently working his job down town in his tattoo and piercing parlour, Green Lantern, which Luke and Calum had collectively decided was pretty much the worst name ever for a tattoo place, but Michael had liked it, and he did pretty good either way.

"Well, yeah," Luke said in reply to Calum's question. "I mean, it's pro bono, free case,"

Calum gave him a weird look. "I thought you were only meant to do one a month," he said, and Luke mentally cursed himself for telling literally everything to Calum. "You did one last week, for that kid who was caught stealing." 

"Yeah," was all Luke could come up with. Wishing he wasn't so damn fucking awkward, he continued. "But, like, it was the way he said it, all like young and childish, I dunno, I just felt bad for him, I guess," 

Calum shot him another weird look, before turning towards the customer who was buying two piano books, one full of Disney songs, the other from Adele's '21' album. Calum quickly rang up the prices and put the books in the bag, handing the customer her change and a receipt. When the door clicked and she was gone, Calum turned back to Luke.

"I bet he's conning you. Pretending he's some poor kid to get you to feel so bad for him that you'll defend him for free."

"It wasn't like that, I swear. He was just like, I dunno, but he was being real. I think it's all an act, what we see, what he does for the cameras." Luke said, and when Calum gave him a patronising smile, he only just about resisted the urge to punch him square in the face. "And he doesn't even have a phone. What kind of rich person doesn't have a phone?" 

"Luke, for some unknown reason, you have this idea that everyone in the world is good and I hate to break it to you, but they're not. It's a world full of pedos, murderers, rapists, abusers, corrupted governments. The world fucking sucks, Luke, and the sooner you realise that this naïve idea you have that there's good in everyone disappears, the better. People are just gonna take advantage of you otherwise," 

Calum was right and he knew it, Luke could tell from the sickening smug look on his face as he went over to help a customer who was looking at acoustic guitars. But all Calum had done was ensure that Luke was going to do everything to help Ashton now, just to prove Calum wrong. Just to prove to Calum that Ashton wasn't a murderer. Just to prove to Calum that there might not be good in everyone, but there was good in Ashton.

"And weren't you saying just last week you needed cases that payed good money," Calum said, after the customer had left with a nice light wooden guitar, not unlike Luke's own one. Again, Luke found himself regretting telling Calum everything.

"Yeah, but, ugh, leave me alone, Calum," Luke whined, and Calum laughed.

"I'm just looking out for you,"

"I know, and I love you for it, but I'm not a fucking baby," Luke replied, and Calum laughed even harder.

He leaned forward and pinched Luke's cheeks, causing Luke to grimace. "Aw, is wittle Lukey wishing he wasn't the youngest?" Luke pushed him away.

"Fuck you Calum,"

"Sorry Luke, I love Mikey,"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really awful, I'm so sorry, but I tried to re-write it and it just got worse and worse each time. So yeah, sorry about how much it sucks.
> 
> Also, over 80 kudos, you guys are the best x. And shoutout to otpficrecs on tumblr for recommending this, I love you.
> 
> Also, I'm gonna start updating this on a more set schedule, so I don't just forget to update it for like three months. So I'll be updating every Sunday and Thursday (hopefully). 
> 
> Anyway, here's the chapter.

"No, don't get margarita, ew, Ashton have some taste," Niall said, as Ashton reached for the pizza. The pair were shopping in their local Wal-mart, buying food (pizza and noodles pretty much) for the week.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ashton replied, picking up the margarita anyway. "Margarita's the best. It's a classic," 

"It's boring," Niall said, leaning over and grabbing a meat-fest and a sloppy guieseppe. "Boring business men and office workers eat margarita. Bad ass mother fuckers like us eat interesting stuff."

"I assume by 'bad ass mother fuckers' you mean high school dropouts who work in fast food and can barely pay the rent of an awful tiny apartment that barely fits one person, let alone two," 

"Exactly," Niall replied. "Isn't life great? Aren't we so fucking lucky to be alive?" 

Ashton didn't reply. Niall got like this sometimes, all worked up over nothing, and it was better to just leave him be. Ashton couldn't blame him, though, he understood how Niall felt, he felt the same way, just not as strongly.

"Why did we get such shitty lives?" Inwardly Ashton rolled his eyes. There was no stopping Niall when he got like this. "Why couldn't we get to live in mansions and have plenty of food and actually have a chance to do something other than wait to fucking die and leave this hellhole?" 

Ashton murmured something along the lines of 'I dunno' and Niall shook his head. "Neither do I, Ash, neither do I," Ashton felt relief rushing through his veins; Niall wasn't going to go off on a rant after all. The two of them approached the cashier, ignoring the slight shake of her head as she glanced at their shopping (ten pots of noodles and six pizzas). She wordlessly checked them through, before telling them they owed her $24. Niall pulled out his wallet, and Ashton desperately tried to ignore the worry that crossed over his face as he sorted through the money, eventually pulling out two ten dollar bills, and four ones. 

He felt guilty, really guilty about how Niall was the only one earning money for the both of them. Ashton got the dole, but it wasn't that much, and they desperately needed more money, he knew that, even though Niall would never say it to his face.

"D'you wanna go to the park?" Niall asked, once they were out the door, each of them carrying a plastic bag. Ashton pretended not to see the worry etched on his friend's face.

"Nah, I'm fine," Ashton said, and he heard Niall sigh in relief. If he wasn't okay, he'd go to the park and Niall knew that. "Let's go people watching,"

Chicago was a busy city, which meant that there was always plenty of people around. Niall and Ashton headed to their usual spot, on the steps outside the old library near their apartment, and sat down. 

"See that guy there?" Niall said, pointing out a guy walking with three other people, and Ashton nodded. "He's secretly a FBI agent, and he's working his most complicated mission yet. The people he's with are actually drug dealers, but he's gained their trust by pretending to be in love with the woman he's holding hands with. He now has to take them down from the inside, and become the kind of hero people will talk about for years and years," 

Ashton laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, okay," he looked around the street. "See the girl over there with the pink in her hair. She was born with amazing super powers but her parents didn't like it so they imprisoned her in a basement for years and years. And then one day, when her mother was bringing her food, she suddenly got a burst of magic or whatever and managed to escape. She fled to Chicago, and she's been living her ever since, fighting crime and kicking ass,"

"God, you watch too much Marvel," Niall said, before scanning the street for his next person. "Uhm, okay, right, see the woman with the kids there in the buggy," Ashton found her. "The kids aren't actually hers; she's secretly an evil mastermind working for the opposite of the FBI, whatever that is, and the kids belong to this amazing agent. She's kidnapping them and is going to hold them for ransom until she finally gets enough money and power to take over the world,"

It was easy to do this like they'd always done; to get lost in other people to avoid looking inside of themselves. It was easy to pretend their problems didn't exist, to ignore them in the hope they'd go away, to forget that the world could possibly crumble to pieces at any moment. Everything, the murder, the rent going up, the fucking lawyer, Ashton not having a job, Niall having a shitty job, it all seemed to fade away. Until it all comes back and hits you in the face again.

"See that guy there," Ashton said, without pointing to anyone, all enthusiasm drained from his voice. "He's been accused of killing two people he didn't kill, and he's either gonna get the chair or spend his life in jail because the legal system is so fucked up that they don't even care about the truth anymore, they just want to look good,

"They don't give a fuck about justice,"

•••••

"Oh, what a surprise, Luke's here," Michael said, walking out of his and Calum's room. Luke and Calum were sat on the couch, playing FIFA on their Xbox. Calum was winning 3-2, but Luke was pretty confident it was only because he was tired. Michael rubbed his eyes, heading for the kitchen. "You know, I thought you getting your own place would mean that you wouldn't constantly be at ours,"

"Just 'cause you want to fuck Calum," Luke replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Shut up, I'm trying to play here," Calum muttered, twisting the controller to the side slightly as he went for a goal.

Luke saved it. "Ha," he said, as Calum swore loudly. "I'm clearly the best keeper in the whole of the universe,"

"If only your other players could match up," Calum said, as he took the ball from one of Luke's players.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Luke said as Calum headed for a goal, rapidly pressing the buttons. 

Calum scored. "Yes! I am the best soccer player in the history of the world!" 

"Cal, you know it's not real, right?" Michael said, as he sat down, a plate of toast balanced in his lap.

"Coming from someone who cries about Pokemon," Calum shot back, and Luke laughed.

"Shut up Luke," Michael said, only half-joking. "But, seriously, you do know you have your own apartment, right? Seems to me all you do is hang out at ours or work for free," 

Luke rolled his eyes. He should've expected this, really. Of course Calum would've told Michael, and of course Michael would feel the need to fucking interrogate him about it afterwards. He paused the game, and turned to look at Michael. "Yes, I am defending Ashton Irwin and, yes, I'm doing it for free, now will you please leave me alone?" 

"'Please leave me alone,'" Michael mocked, his voice about twenty million times more whiny than Luke's had been. "You're such a teenager, Luke," Luke found himself wondering why he was even friends with the two of them.

"I am not," Luke replied, indignant, "And I sound absolutely nothing like that, and-Calum, don't you dare fucking un-pause the game,"

"Whatever," Michael said. "Go back to your little fantasy soccer,"

"You. Cry. About. Pokemon." Michael hit Calum on the back of the head, and Luke laughed, and sitting here with his two best friends, everything else seemed to melt away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, you all have permission to shoot me for how slow I've been updating sorry. But like hopefully this chapter makes up for it??? I kind of like it, but at the same time I don't and there's a little bit more Seth in this chapter so I apologise for my wrestling obsession taking over this fic.
> 
> So I'm really sick right now, so that's why I'm actually updating but I have like seven more chapters for this written so if I'm ever taking way too long to update please comment or message me on my tumblr (same as here: rollinsandambrose) because I literally forget to update a lot of the time.
> 
> Also, quick warning: this story is going to have a really really slow build in terms of lashton actually getting together, but don't worry: it will happen eventually, I just like kind of letting these things happen naturally rather than rushing them.
> 
> And over 100 kudos which is literally insane, thank you all!! 
> 
> Anyway, you probably didn't even read that, but here's the chapter x.

"Are you walking there?" Niall asked, as Ashton stood in the kitchen, staring at his reflection in the microwave as he wrapped his red bandana around his head. It was 9:26 according to the clock on the microwave, and Ashton had arranged to meet with Luke at ten. "'Cos if you are, you should be like gone,"

"Nah," Ashton replied, shifting his bandana, and fixing his curls. "Seth's giving me a lift on his way to work," He stood up from the microwave, and made his way out of the kitchen. 

Niall laughed. "You are so fucking vain," 

"That's coming from someone who almost didn't take a job because the hats there would make his hair 'go all weird'," 

Niall laughed again. "Speaking of jobs, you need to get one," he said seriously. "Rent's due next week and we're twenty dollars short,"

"Fuck," Ashton muttered. "I'll see what I can do, yeah?" Niall nodded, before heading into their bedroom to get dressed, and go do whatever it was he did when Ashton wasn't around.

"Ash, you ready?" Came a voice from outside the door, along with a knock. Ashton slipped his feet into his worn fake vans, and headed out the door, shouting a bye to Niall who replied with an incomprehensible mumbling, due to his mouth being full of toothpaste. 

After the first few usual pleasantries, Seth and Ashton fell into silence, and it remained this way as they walked down to Seth's car. Ashton had known Seth since he was like ten; Seth had been the one who taught him how to play the drums. They lived just across the hall from each other, and they talked occasionally, usually about music and stuff, but they weren't exactly what you'd call friends. Seth's partner, Dean, was kind of antisocial, and preferred to stick with just himself and Seth, so Ashton didn't really see much of either of them.

Seth's car was an extremely old, and equally beat-up Honda, which didn't look nor sound roadworthy in the slightest. Only one of the four doors worked anymore, and one of them was missing a window. Ashton used to worry it might get stolen, but Seth had assured him that 'anyone desperate enough to steal this fucker obviously needs it more than me'. It was a miracle that it even ran anymore, and Ashton found himself thanking God when it started.

Seth turned on the radio as soon as they got in the car, blasting out some heavy metal song that Ashton didn't know the name of. Seth had the best music taste of anyone Ashton had ever discussed music with, which wasn't really saying much since he'd only really talked about it with Seth and Niall. He worked at a music store down town, which Ashton assumed payed alright, because the interior of Seth and Dean's apartment was certainly nicer than his and Niall's. 

Apart from a couple of brief sentences about how they were getting on and the music that was playing, they rode in silence, which was fine with Ashton, because he wasn't very good at talking to people he liked. He only really managed to do it with Niall, and that was only because he'd known him for so long, their friendship dating all the way back to elementary school. 

Seth dropped him outside the office building, telling him it was 9:47, before driving away. His shift started at ten, and since only like three people worked there, he couldn't afford to be late. Ashton took a deep breath, and pinched his wrist lightly, as he stared up at the huge building in front of him. Growing up in Chicago, he was used to skyscrapers, but he'd never actually been inside one until two days ago, and that whole experience still seemed a bit surreal to him.

He headed inside, trying to figure out why he couldn't stop being so damn nervous. He was never nervous. Ever. But, goddamnit, he couldn't stop the fucking butterflies fluttering around his stomach. A million situations flooded through his head as he climbed the stairs (he hated elevators with a passion more burning than the sun), each one worse than the last. What if the lawyer had forgotten about him? What if he couldn't find the right office? What if he'd come to the wrong building? What if the lawyer decided he didn't want to defend him after all? What if this had all been an elaborate ruse by fucking Liam Payne to try and get him to spill his guts and then use it against him?

He adjusted his bandana slightly and took a deep breath as he reached the third floor. Third floor, fifth door on the left, he reminded himself as he started down the hallway. There was no clock in the hall, and the lawyer didn't have a waiting room, so Ashton decided his best option was to just wait outside until the lawyer came out or whatever. 

In and out. Deep breaths. Don't let the lawyer see how nervous you are right now. Don't show any signs of weakness. Don't show him how fucking scared you are. You're not nervous. You're not scared. You're fine. It's just a lawyer; you've been dealing with thousands of them. You're fine, you're fine, you're fine, you're absolutely fine.

The door opened, and a small blonde girl with obvious tear tracks on her face came out. She couldn't have been more than twenty, and she wore jeans and a jumper. She looked like the type of person who was very good at blending in, in becoming invisible.

"Em, do I go in?" She looked up at him, almost surprised he was there. Her eyes were grey and kind of blue, and they contained a kind of emptiness that gave the feel that she was just completely and utterly done. With everything.

"Yeah, I think so," her voice was thick, almost like she was choking.

"Right, uh, thanks," she nodded at him, and walked down the hallway, leaving him alone.

Taking a deep breath in a useless attempt to compose himself, Ashton pushed open the door. Luke was sitting at his desk, writing something. "Um, hi," 

"Oh, hey, take a seat, I'll be done this in a second,"

Ashton walked the few steps and sank into the faux-leather chair, absent-mindedly picking at one of the cracks in the black material. The chair was soft, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was having trouble fucking breathing right now, Ashton may have been comfortable.

"Who was that?" Ashton asked.  
"Hmm?" Was all Luke replied, not even looking up from whatever the fuck he was writing.

"The girl who just came out before me?"

"Can't say. Client confidentiality and all that shit." Luke finished writing, and began reading through it quickly, skimming through the information.

"She looked sad. Kind of empty," Luke looked up at Ashton for the first time then, staring him right in the eyes. 

"Her name's Emma. Her dad abused her. But I didn't tell you that," 

"She doesn't have a dad," Ashton blurted out, before Luke had barely had a chance to finish talking.

"What do you mean?" 

"I don't either. I mean, I have a father, obviously, but not a dad. Neither does she. Dads don't do that to their kids. Ever. No excuses." Ashton's eyes stayed fixed on an imaginary spot on the floor, and Luke's eyes stayed fixed on Ashton. 

Neither of them talked for a couple of seconds. Luke wanted to know more about Ashton's past, but he didn't know how to ask, and he couldn't help but remember how Phil had specifically told him not to ask Ashton about anything to do with his childhood. But still. How could he not be curious?

"No, my father didn't hit me. No, I won't answer any of your questions. Now can we talk about something else?"

It wasn't a question, not really, but Luke still answered it. "Uh, yeah, sure. Um, what do you wanna talk about?"

Ashton laughed, a dry almost-forced sound. "God, I'm beginning to think I hired the dumbest lawyer in all of Illinois. Maybe, just maybe, we should talk about the case, you know that's the reason I'm here, right?"

Luke failed to remember why he'd ever decided to defend Ashton in the first place. He should've listened to Michael and Calum. "Okay, first off, you haven't hired me, I'm doing this for free, you asshole, and not a lot of people would do that. Not a lot of people want anything to do with you, let alone defend you in a case that I'm more than likely gonna lose because I'm going up against fucking Liam Payne who is arguably the best prosecutor of the 21st century. Stop being such a dick or get the fuck out of my office," 

And for a second Ashton was quiet. And Luke regained his breath.

And Ashton stared at Luke. And Luke stared at Ashton.

It was Ashton who finally broke the silence, speaking in a small, tiny voice and sounding for all the world like a ten year old kid. "Sorry. I'm not so good at the whole human contact kind of thing," 

"Yeah, well, neither am I, but you don't see me going around being a dick to everyone. Christ, have some decency." No fucking way was he going to stop being angry just because Ashton was being (and looking, not that Luke noticed or anything) nice.

"Not so good at the whole 'having decency' either," Ashton replied, half his mouth almost curled up into a smirk, and Luke's lips betrayed him and twitched upwards into a smile. 

"Right so, uh, back to the case, um, I know what you told me but what have you told the court?" Luke asked, trying desperately to restore a bit of formality to their meeting. So what if Ashton was a (kind of cute) asshole. Luke was a professional, he could handle it.

"Nothing," Ashton said simply.

"What? Why?"

"Well, why should I?" Ashton said with a shrug.

Luke resisted the urge to sigh. "Because you're innocent," he said, and Ashton smiled with his eyes, but not his mouth. "Because maybe if you tell them the whole story they'll realise that and you won't go to jail for the rest of your life," 

"You think they'd send me to jail?" Ashton asked. "Or would I get the chair?"

"I'm not sure," Luke replied. "They might let you pick,"

"That'd be a hard choice," Ashton muttered, and Luke detected an ounce of sarcasm.

"What would you pick?" Luke asked.

"Chair, obviously," Ashton said, looking Luke straight in the eye. "Let's be honest, I'm a small blonde boy, do you think I'd last long in jail?"

"Okay, yeah, whatever, when are you next due in court?" 

"June 17th. Twelve days time," 

"Well, let's get you ready for it,"

••••••

Two and a half hours later, with Luke's hand aching like crazy, they finally finished. Luke had questioned Ashton about everything from that night, about the time he'd spent with the girl, about everything he knew about her new guy, about pretty much everything and Ashton had answered as best as he could. Luke had quizzed him on every single little detail, desperate to find something that clearly proved Ashton innocent. 

But he couldn't, and it drove him crazy. Nothing to prove him guilty, nothing to prove him innocent. It would be Ashton's word against the fact that he had a motive. He could get Niall to testify, sure, but it would be incredibly easy to poke holes in his argument since Ashton had said he'd been sleeping the majority of the night. And, besides, someone could quite easily claim Niall was lying.

"So, where are you going now?" Luke asked, the words spilling out of his mouth before he had even had a chance to process the thoughts.

"Hmm?" Ashton said, turning back from the door.

"I mean, like, um, do you need a lift or anything?" Luke asked, cursing himself for opening his mouth in the first place. Awkward, awkward, why was he so fucking awkward?

"Nah, I'm fine," Ashton replied with a smile. When he wasn't so busy being an asshole, Luke had discovered, he wasn't actually an asshole at all. "I'm walking down to where my friend works and he's giving me a lift home. He gets off for lunch at one," 

"Oh cool. Where does he work?" Luke said, desperately trying to change the topic. Anything but him being an awkward fucker. 

"This music shop near the river. It's called SING,"

"No way! My friend Calum works there,"

"Calum.... Is he that Asian kid?" 

"He's not- yeah," Luke said. It was easier just to let people think Calum was Asian. 

"Oh, he seems, uh, nice," Ashton said, almost shyly, before ducking out the door. "Bye,"

"See ya,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr: rollinsandambrose (same as here x)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated x.


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